


Love Lock

by greekowl87



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst?, F/M, Fluff, love lock, tumblr drabble, xfiles fanfic challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:09:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9836999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greekowl87/pseuds/greekowl87
Summary: Written for @leiascully prompt on tumblr with 'Keys'. "A love lock is typically a padlock attached to something, like a bridge or wall, to symbolize peoples' love." - Wikipedia





	

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: inspired by a local newspaper article about love locks. (http://pilotonline.com/news/love-has-a-lock-on-norfolk-s-hague-bridge/article_7acd79ac-1720-5f96-a45b-94fde8430e82.html) There. I also wrote this in less than an hour and while sipping on a wee bit of whiskey. Sorry for the typos. No beta. I hope you enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> Written for @leiascully tumblr fic challenge of 'Keys'

_Then..._

 

They had been on the run for two years now. For Mulder, he defined time from town to town, crappy motel room to crappy motel room. For Scully, it had all become a blur marked by the occasional argument and the make up sex afterwards. She was tired of running but she loved Mulder and that is what kept her with him. She loved him. Her soulmate. Her one in five billion. His touchstone. She loved him and that was it.

 

But Mulder was no idiot. He knew Scully. Sometimes he thought better than he knew himself. She loved him, but she was unhappy. She was very unhappy. The arguments had become more frequent. The make up sex less frequent. He honestly believed that she would just leave him and go back to a normal life. Whatever that was. Where was the breaking point?

 

They decided to go to Norfolk, Virginia. Mulder thought that maybe seeing her mother (in incognito of course) would help some of Scully's unhappiness. Norfolk was close enough to her mother but still far away from D.C., the Hoover Building, and the FBI. In addition to allowing Scully to see her mother, he booked a hotel in the downtown area that was easy walking distance to a favorite local spot, Ghent. It was the least he could in a piss-poor-ass apology to her for ruining her life and causing this mess.

 

It overlooked the water, which Mulder knew she would love.

 

_“Why are we here, Mulder?”_

_She practically pleaded with him as they entered the hotel room. She sighed when saw the view overlooking the Elizabeth river. She took off her beanie and the deep, fiery red of her hair emerged, a dye job gone wrong. Mulder dropped there bags and shut the door behind him. He gently rested his hands on her shoulder and she closed her eyes in exhaustion and leaned into his chest. “I'm tired, Mulder.”_

_“I know,” he whispered. “Which is why I arranged a surprise for you.”_

_He pulled her away and focused on her beautiful blue eyes. “You're going to see your mother tonight. Spend some girl time and what night. I know you miss her. I know you miss...normalcy. It's the least I can do for you. Have fun. You deserve it.”_

 

That had been hours ago. It was well near midnight when she came back. She was silent. Mulder had been laying in the bed, channel surfing mindlessly. She smiled slight and held out her hand. “Let's go for a walk,” she whispered.

 

“A walk.”

 

“Come on, Mulder. The weather's nice. Norfolk is an old city. There's stuff to see. Come on.”

 

She seemed...lighter. Happier. She had not dropped her purse or taken off her boots. She had dressed in jeans, leather boots, and a light jacket. He groaned and smiled indulgently. “This old man is coming,” he said. He leaned on his knees and pushed himself up from his bed. “Good time with your mom I take it?”

 

She smiled softly and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, for everything,” she whispered in his ear.

 

Mulder was not sure what had happened the version of Scully he had seen and lived with the past two years. She seemed, well, content. Together they left the hotel room and wandered arm and arm down the streets of Norfolk. Eventually they found themselves at a bridge overlooking the Hague. She had stopped him midway across the bridge and held his hands. She was still smiling.

 

“Okay,” Mulder joked, “What have you done with Scully?”

 

She pulled him towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She found his lips soundly. “I had a nice long talk with mom tonight.”

 

“About what?” he joked.

 

He was only aware of her. Any fleeting chance that they might be caught was absent. “Us,” she told him simply. “I love you.”

 

“As I love you,” he continued, uncertain of her train of thought.

 

She smiled and he pushed back her hair. It was red again, well, a deep fiery red like a fire truck. He loved seeing her as a redhead again, even though it was the wrong shade. She reached into her pocket and held out simple master lock and two keys. He smiled slightly and inspected the lock. 'M+S ∞'. He could not help but smile at the infinity symbol.

 

“Forever, Mulder,” she said simply. She attached the lock to the side of the bridge and held out a key to him. He took it cautiously. “And in case we ever change our mind.”

 

He took the key and smiled. A real genuine smile.

 

“I doubt that.”

 

_Now...._

 

It was a random case. A dead end. A waste of a trip that led them back to Norfolk, Virginia. But Mulder found himself at the same bridge that they had stood on fifteen years ago. He found their lock easily. He touched the faded initials and infinity symbol in reverence.

 

Before they had traveled to Norfolk, he had found the key to the lock. He had kept in his suit's pocket during the entire time. But somehow, he found his way to the bridge. He leaned against the railing, contemplating the past year. She had left but they were on the mend, well, at least he thought they were. He was getting help with his depression and she was slowly making her intentions and feelings known, albeit painfully slow like the beginning, that she wanted to be back with him again. To go back to what they were.

 

“Should I be surprised to see you here?”

 

He looked up and saw Scully standing at the foot of the bridge, smiling lovingly at him in the lamplight. She walked slowly before joining him, overlooking the edge of the bridge. She rested her chin on her arms and smiled. That smile. Mulder felt his very soul warm.

 

“I found our lock,” he told her, absently looking out into the water. “It's still here.”

 

“Hm.” She looked back out into the waterway as well. “I'm surprised.”

 

“I saw a news article that they are cracking down on these 'love locks.'” She played with one of the many locks that still remained on the bridge. “But surprisingly, ours is still here.”

 

“We're forever, Scully.”

 

“Forever.” She pursed her lips and dug into her pocket and held out a worn, familiar key, identical to her own. “Do you still have yours, Mulder?”

 

He dug into his suit jacket pocket and held out an identical key. She gave a small smile. “I've been thinking,” she whispered.

 

“About what?”

 

“Us.”

 

“What about us?”

 

She fingered the small key thoughtfully, smiled, and then threw the key out into the water, never to be seen again. Unspoken communication had never died between them. If not, it only made them stronger as they began to see each other and work together again. He felt her confidence and resolution. He fingered the key and smiled again. He let the key fall easily from his fingers, down into the murky waters below.

 

“Forever is forever, Scully. Isn't it?”

 

“Yes, it is, Mulder.”

 

And she kissed him, forever sealing their bond together.

-End-


End file.
